Floor Plan Review please (Summerfield?)

8mpgAugust 27, 2012

Hey Gardenweb...hoping you guys might give me some feedback. I need help with space.

So a little about us and our property. The fiance and I are hoping to pay down most of our land ($60k to go) and build sometime next year when we get down to the $15-20k mark. It is just the two of us. We picked up piece of land in Keller, TX. It was a foreclosure and we got a great deal ($92k with tax value of $180k). Its 2.5 acres that is 207' wide by 500' deep facing North. There are 15' easements on all sides of the property. Im a big car guy so having a large and multiple garage setup is a big part to me. While my dreams are big, my pockets aren't. Deed restrictions says minimum 3500' single story or 2500' down and 600' upstairs. Im not a big fan of 2 story houses as the heat in Texas will kill your electric bill trying to cool the upstairs.

and fell in love with it. Beautiful, simple one story house with an AMAZING garage. We both love the looks of the house...but it is 204' wide house and we can build a max of 177' wide. Chopping off 30' is no easy feat. I have tried multiple ways and finally found that it is easiest to just move a garage.

So..this is my rendition: Lots of changes as the original plan is setup for a basement, its 7000sqft with just the master on the main floor. Added 2 bedrooms on the main floor. Above the carport and garage connected would allow for future expansion if needed. Also building above the back garage is possible. Not pictured is the room above the dining room which will be the media room. It is much like the plan above but I have added a powder bathroom and closet for media equipment.

Id love for some advice. Id like to try and shrink down a bit. It is currently 4089sq ft. The house I grew up in is 3800sq ft and has large rooms with a formal living and somehow is smaller. I know the master bath and master is large and it could probably shrink a bit, but as they say, these things (along with the kitchen) sell houses.

We have 1.5+ acres that is 200 ft wide, so I have a visual on how wide your space will be.... Are you sure you want your home to be that close to adjacent properties? To me, one of the reasons to have some property is to distance yourself from neighbors....... That house and garage are massive and it might be a little strange to use up so much width when you have a deep lot. I say this without having any idea what your area looks like, though.

I agree with lolauren. We have a 200ft frontage and a deeper lot. We do have a house with an attached 2 car and then a 2400 sq ft shop.

Would you consider doing doing a tandem garage? Then you can stretch it back from the back garage and only need one entrance and the bedroom view won't be just of a garage, although the drive way would still be there.

Looks to me like you have way too many entry points on the right side of the house.

I would plan on having a bath in the garage or at least one nearby and near the outside in general.

Also not sure I like the powder room placement you currently have. Just doesn't seem private enough, too close to family room and view from breakfast area and also guests would get a peak of the master anytime they headed to the powder room.

I hesitate to say this, for fear of hurting your feelings.....but this house doesn't seem to be the type of house one without "deep pockets" would build.

Also, you're basically asking us to help you commit copyright fraud, and I suspect that's why you aren't getting many more comments. I know most people have a starting point to develop ideas from, but this is pretty overt and makes me feel uneasy. Had you not linked up to the original plan, we would have been none the wiser.

Having said that, I find multiple things wrong with your modified house plan, IMHO. Perhaps you can contact the original architect and have them work with you to achieve your goals and then come back here with a draft for us to review?

Thanks for the replies guys... as for copyright, maybe you could consider it if you want to but it has way to many changes from the original. My cousin is an architect and said that it would be better off drawing from scratch than using their plan and modifying it due to all the changes.

dekeoboe - As for simple, I like the look. It looks very large due to the garage in the picture. Lots of other plans that I have liked online are all much more complex as far as layout and the foundation plans. Lots of corners, shapes, more complex roof lines, etc. The actual house (while wide) would look like a normalish house in the area. The spiral staircase is the only way up and all furniture would be loaded from the upstairs balcony. The laundry room could use some trimming but Im not sure how to best do it. I guess the outdoor room off the garage could be bigger. This is where the water heater for the house would go. Also I will probably find a way to trim the extra closet (smaller one) and laundry out of the plan.

When I get home I will do a screenshot of the lot. The neighbor on the left has a 5600sq ft house and the neighbor on the right 4600sq ft. For the most part they take up most of their frontage view.